Among conventional analyzers for analyzing specimens such as blood and urine, there is an analyzer of the type having an analyzer body which is capable of analyzing a specimen and which is combined with a conveyor device designed to convey a specimen rack along a fixed path. With this construction, it is possible to automate an operation to convey a plurality of specimen racks sequentially to a predetermined point in the analyzer body, thereby to facilitate and speed-up the specimen analyzing operation.
In some cases, instead of being used solely, an analyzer is used as connected to another analyzer for a specimen rack to be passed between these analyzers (see Patent Documents 1 and 2 for example). With such an arrangement, analyzing operations for plural items of analysis can be performed continuously, thus resulting in a highly efficient analyzing operation.
Conventionally, however, there is room for improvements as described below.
That is, since an analyzer may be used not only solely but also as combined with another analyzer as described above, such an analyzer is requested to have an arrangement capable of suitably accommodating to the latter case also. In order to meet such a request suitably, the conveyor device incorporated in one analyzer is required to be easily connectable to the conveyor device of another analyzer so as to allow a specimen rack to be properly passed between the two analyzers.
Heretofore, no proposal has been made of a conveyor device for analyzer which is capable of meeting the aforementioned request suitably. Typically, a conventional conveyor device for analyzer has an arrangement provided with a frame positioned around a conveyance track for specimen rack. The frame can be utilized as a guide for the conveyance of specimen racks. The frame is also useful in preventing articles other than specimen racks from inadvertently approaching onto the conveyance track. In connecting a pair of conveyor devices each having such an arrangement, however, it is difficult for a specimen rack to be properly passed between the pair of conveyor devices because the frames interfere with the passage of the specimen rack. For this reason, the conventional art cannot easily realize combined use of an analyzer that has been used solely and another analyzer or the like, thus causing an inconvenience.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 3616744    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI7-92171